Mesh bracelet for wrist watch band

ABSTRACT

A MESH BRACELET FOR A WRIST WATCH BAND OR THE LIKE, THE MESH BRACELET COMPOSED OF LONGITUDINALLY PARALLEL MESH STRANDS, FASHIONED TO IMPART THERETO AT AN END SECTION THEREOF A LATERAL SPREADING OF THE MESH STANDS WITHIN THE AREA OF SAID END SECTION, TO INCREASE THE LATERAL SIZE AND/OR THE CONFIGURATION OF SAID END SECTION, AND THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF AN ORANAMENTAL PLATE COVERING THE SPREAD MESH STRANDS AT SAID END SECTION.

Nov. 14, 1972 w. LUFT 3,702,670

MESH BRACELET FOR WRIST WATCH BAND Filed Feb. 19. 1971 INVENTOR 41 7 5? UFT BY QZM ATTQ R N EYS United States Patent 3,702,670 MESH BRACELET FOR WRIST WATCH BAND Walter Luft, Forest Hills, N.Y., assignor to Jacoby- Bender, Incorporated, Woodside, N.Y. Filed Feb. 19, 1971, Ser. No. 116,973 Int. Cl. A44c /00 US. Cl. 224-4 D 20 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A mesh bracelet for a wrist watch band or the like, the mesh bracelet composed of longitudinally parallel mesh strands, fashioned to impart thereto at an end section thereof a lateral spreading of the mesh strands within the area of said end section, to increase the lateral size and/or the configuration of said end section; and the combination therewith of an ornamental plate covering the spread mesh strands at said end section.

This invention relates to the fashioning of mesh bracelets of ornamental designs, and more particularly to the making of an ornamental mesh bracelet for a wrist Watch band or the like designed with a widened end section.

It is well known in the art to change the size and the configuration of mesh bracelet bands composed of longitudinal parallel mesh strands, by subjecting the same to a compression of the mesh, either vertically (i.e. in a plane normal to the mesh surface), or laterally (i.e. in the plane of the mesh surface), or both, to produce desired ornamental changes in the sizes and configurations of the bands to be produced. This is accomplished however by the practice of a number of process steps involving thereby an increase in the cost of manufacture. The employed processes moreover are such as to impose limits on the size changes and configurations that are producible.

The main object of the present invention relates to the fashioning of a mesh bracelet, by the practice of simple manipulative steps, and thereby at a considerable economy of manufacture, to produce a mesh band having a selected area thereof changed in size or/and configuration, causing the selected area to assume a modified size such as an increased size or/and a changed ornamental configuration.

A more specific object of the invention is the making of a mesh bracelet band, by subjecting a selected segment thereof, located as at an end section of a band, to a vertical compression step to produce a lateral spreading of the mesh strands within said segment and limited to the area of the end section, to impart a lateral or outward spreading of said end area section of the hand. More specific objects of the invention include the making of such a mesh bracelet for use as a wrist watch band characterized by having a spread tapered end section, and the combination therewith of an ornamental plate secured to the front face of the bracelet, covering the segment of the spread mesh strands on the selected compressed segment of the band, thereby enhancing the ornamental appearance at the selected segment and giving to the remainder of said tapered area the appearance of solidity and uniformity.

By means of the invention, I am moreover enabled by a simple manipulative step to convert a mesh bracelet of a given smaller width to one characterized by a desired expanded width at one end thereof, the latter to lit a wider watch attachment device, thereby producing a desired mesh size and configuration at a considerable economy.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing objects and such other objects as may hereinafter appear, my inven- 3,702,670 Patented Nov. 14, 1972 tion relates more particularly to the mesh bracelet structure defined in the appended claims taken in connection with the following specification and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a wrist watch band embodying the mesh bracelet construction of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a mesh bracelet of a size preferred as a starting point of the manipulative process to which the mesh bracelet is subjected in producing the mesh band of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a view of the mesh structure of FIG. 2 optionally slightly compressed laterally to produce a bracelet structure of a size such as shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 4 is a view of the mesh bracelet in which a structure of the size shown is converted by a simple manipulative step to one having an expanded size and preferably a change configuration at an end thereof;

FIG. 5 is a view, on a larger scale, of FIG. 4 taken in section in the plane of the line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view of the mesh bracelet of FIG. 4 combined with an ornamental plate secured to the front of the mesh bracelet modified end; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view, shown on an enlarged scale, of the combined structure of FIG. 6 taken in section in the plane of the line 7--7 of FIG. 6.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings, and having reference first to FIG. 1 thereof, the present invention is shown to comprise a mesh bracelet specially designed for a wristwatch band or the like. The said mesh bracelet consists of mating parts 10 and 12 structured for attachment to a watch 14, each bracelet part being provided for this purpose with a watch attaching piece 16. The band part 10 is formed at one end with a male part such as a tongue 18, and the band part 12 is provided with a female part 20 such as a clasp for detachably receiving the tongue 18. Each of the bracelet band parts 10 and 12 is similarly fashioned to provide a section 22 of a given (smaller) width and a widened end section 24, the latter increased in size (width) and also preferably changed in configuration to the width of the watch attaching piece 16.

In a preferred practice of the process steps for converting or making the mesh bracelet band in the changed size and configuration just referred to, I start with a mesh bracelet such as is indicated as 26 in FIG. 2 of the drawings having a given width slightly larger than the ultimate size of the section 22 of the mesh. bracelet and I optionally slightly compress the same laterally in the directions shown by the arrows 28, 28 depicted in FIG. 3 so as to produce a mesh width 29 which, in effect, is the starting width of the mesh structure as shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings, the latter width being also indicated by the reference character 29. In practice the step of laterally compressing the mesh structure depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings is not necessary or essential but is preferred for the best practice of the invention.

The starting width of the mesh structure indicated as 29 in FIG. 4 is the width designated as 22 (corresponding to that depicted in FIG. 1 of the drawings).

As will be understood, the mesh brackelet band 22 is composed of longitudinally parallel mesh strands. To produce the widened end section 24 of the mesh bracelet, the said end section is subjected to a compression at a central segment 30 thereof producing at said end section 24 a lateral spreading of the mesh strands 32 within the area of said central segment 30 and a resulting spreading of the remaining contiguous strands 34, 34 at each side of said spread strands 32, the contiguous strands being retained in their parallel formation. The result is as depicted in FIG. 4 of the drawings, the producing of a widened end section 24in the mesh bracelet, the said contiguous spread strands 34, 34, retained in their parallel mesh arrangement, giving the appearance of solidity and uniformity to the sides of the widened mesh section 24.

By the means described, I am enabled by the simple manipulative step of compressing the central segment of the band section end 24 to convert a mesh bracelet of a given smaller width to one characterized by a desired expanded width at one end thereof, the latter to fit a wider Watch attachment piece or device.

In a preferred practice of the invention, the selected central part 30 subjected to the compression step is triangular in shape (the triangle having its base at the bracelet edge as shown); and therefore there is effectuated not only the desired width change in the bracelet mesh but also a change in configuration of the end section, the configuration change resulting in the production of a spread tapered end section 24, as best depicted in FIGS. 1 and 4 of the drawings.

To conceal from normal view the spread arrangement of the strands 32 as Well as to enhance the ornamental appearance of the widened and tapered end section 24 of the band, there is secured, as by spot welding, to the front face of the bracelet part or section an ornamental plate 36, the effect of which is best shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. Preferably the ornamental plate 36 is made integral with the watch attaching piece 16 (see 'FIGS. 1, 6 and 7). The watch attaching piece 16 is shaped to receive either the usual pin inserted between lugs formed with the watch casing 14 or to receive a watch bail 38 as indicated in FIG. 1 of the drawings.

Although the invention is here specifically disclosed in an embodiment where the band is composed of longitudinally parallel mesh strands, and where width-shaping is produced at the ends of the bracelet, neither of these features is essential. The mesh strip will widen no matter what the orientation of the strands and no matter where along its length the thickness of the mesh is compressed.

The fashioning of the mesh bracelet of the invention for carrying out the functions and purposes described above in detail will, it is believed, be clear from the above detailed description of the structure and manipulative steps involved.

It will be further apparent that many changes may be made in the practice of the invention without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A mesh bracelet for a wrist watch band or the like having a section wider than the adjacent bracelet section, comprising a mesh bracelet band composed of interlinked mesh strands of given thickness, said wider section of the bracelet band having a segment thereof with the mesh strands compressed to a thickness less than said given thickness and laterally spread relative to the noncompressed strands within the area of said segment, thereby resulting in a lateral spreading of said section to produce said widened section in the mesh bracelet.

2. The mesh bracelet of claim 1, in which the widened section is a laterally tapered section.

3. The mesh bracelet of claim 1, in which the compressed segment of the section is triangular in shape.

4. The mesh bracelet of claim 1, in which an ornamental plate is secured to the front face of the bracelet covering the area of the compressed segment.

5. The mesh bracelet of claim 3, in which a triangular shaped ornamental plate is secured to the front face of the bracelet covering the area of said triangular shaped segment.

6. The mesh bracelet of claim 1, in which said section is at an end of said bracelet.

7. The mesh bracelet of claim 6, in which said end is one adapted to be secured to a wrist watch.

8. The mesh bracelet of claim 7, in which the compressed segment of the section is triangular in shape.

9. The mesh bracelet of claim 8, in which said triangular shaped segment has its base at the end edge of said bracelet.

10. In combination with the claim 9, an ornamental plate secured to the front face of the bracelet and covering the area of the compressed segment.

11. In the combination mesh bracelet of claim 10, a wrist watch attaching piece integral with said ornamental plate.

12. The mesh bracelet of claim 1, in which said mesh strands extend generally parallel to one another longitudinally of said bracelet, said strands within the area of said segment being compressed in thickness and the strands in the uncompressed segments within said section retaining their generally parallel orientation relative to adjacent strands.

13. The mesh bracelet of claim 12, in which the widened section is a laterally tapered section.

14. The mesh bracelet of claim 12, in which an ornamental plate is secured to the front face of the bracelet covering the area of the compressed segment.

15. The mesh bracelet of claim 12, in which said section is at an end of said bracelet.

16. The mesh bracelet of claim 15, in which said end is one adapted to be secured to a wrist watch.

17. The mesh bracelet of claim 16, in which the compressed segment of the section is triangular in shape.

18. The mesh bracelet of claim 17, in which said triangular shaped segment has its base at the end edge of said bracelet.

19. In combination with the mesh bracelet of claim 15, an ornamental plate secured to the front face of the bracelet and covering the area of the compressed segment.

20. In the combination of claim 19, a wrist watch attaching piece integral with said ornamental plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,866,670 7/1932 Roy 2244.5 2,208,052 7/1940 Pierce -107 FOREIGN PATENTS 809,578 2/1959 England 2244 662,559 12/1951 England 2244 343,693 2/ 1960 Switzerland 2244 GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner I. M. FORSBERG, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 2244E 

